The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast

While that describes the absolute carnage in Madrid on the WTA side of things, the men's tournament fizzled out... hard. We run back the highs, lows & whoas of Spain's Master's 1000 and look ahead to who is gonna be backflipping into Rome (and beyond). 

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Yes, we're talking about the court position taken by doubles team Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. Also ugly is the preventive (we hope?) withdrawal of Carlitos from the rest of clay court season. Plus: BTS from the new (superlative) Rafael Nadal doc that's about to drop on Netflix, and update to the roiling NCAA controversy as the University of Arkansas axes it's entire tennis program, and, of course, reader Qs. 

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Caitlin's back in the chat, fam. We talk about the incredible tennis being played on the red clay from Linz to Stuttgart, Barcelona and Munich—and why Benny Shell's secured the first US male tournament win since Agassi in '02. PLUS: a look at the dwindling Americans in US college tennis and we upgrade our reader Q's to regular segment. Keep 'em coming!

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Clay season is fully underway and the red clay of Europe is where it's all going down. Rennae talks Monte Carlo & Linz and takes reader questions. Helmets on!

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Miami is over, and the Sunshine Doubles singles players (and Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova in women's doubles) repeated—hats off to Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka for doing the extremely difficult. Rennae expounds on what happened and why—as well as where we go from here as clay season looms...

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We gotta get them there, no matter the cost—ok tournaments? A breakdown of Indian Wells, the return of accursed traveler Daniil Medvedev, what's up with Iga? and a little preview of a new and improved Miami.

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Rennae and Caitlin discuss bad behavior online and oncourt—from neckbeard gamblers harassing players to commentator tete a tetes. 

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Of course Rennae and Caitlin beam in from a Racquet Retreat in the desert to get into the first great tournament on US soil, Indian Wells! But first, we touch base on what's up for the future of the USTA: Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley's appointment as CEO of the US governing body and how it needs to change. Plus: Serena's comeback seems realer by the minute.

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Live from Melbourne, Rennae and Petko break down the men's and women's draw ahead of the Australian Open—from who's in form to who's in trouble, the Happy Slam promises to have it all.

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e do our damndest not to talk ONLY about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who were so clearly ahead of the rest of the pack that it's hard not to give them all the awards. Plus: what do players like Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Alex Zverev need to do to be competitive with the elite pack? 

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From the podiums to the pork chops, we review the year's highs, lows and whoas. Plus: Coco Gauff is the new face of the Mercedes Benz's WTA title sponsorship, and is Serena actually really coming back despite what she says on social media? We think the answer is... yes

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Spain and Italy can't keep their hands off each other, and Rennae ever so slightly relents on the weekly topic of Justine Henin's majestic backhand! As always, we're here to solve all of tennis' problems—from the NCAAs to PTPAs, Tour Finals (just join em, already!) and of course, team competition. As ever, we're thankful for all of you!

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We recap the (predictably, but satisfying) ATP Tour Finals, discuss the Gazprom Open, bid farewell to Chris Eubanks and debate the justifiable entry into the International Tennis Hall of Fame of the GOAT (in our house, her name is Mary Carillo) as well as some guy named Roger Federer. Plus: who got snubbed and why?

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Yes, we recap the WTA Finals on-court results and off-court statements (looking at you on both counts, Elena Rybakina!) and preview what we hope is an exciting ATP Finals. In the spirit of constructive criticism, any billionaire who wants to pay for the year-end tournament to be in front of a rowdy crowd gets a free tennis lesson from Rennae among other prizes!

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We love the new Battle of the Sexes! Just kidding, we hate it and its cynical, gross and insultingly crude existence. We talk all things WTA Finals—matchups, blowouts, blowups and more, as well as go in depth about the brilliant critique of the failure of tennis' establishment to offer good digital content. Sorry, but watching players create meme content is an insult to our intelligence. Plus: shoutout to a Mandarin speaking Anna Blinkova. Hen hao!

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After an action-packed week, Rennae and Caitlin are back, and the end of the year is staring us down the barrel! We talk Saudi Masters 1000, Mira Andreeva's visa snafu and lessons for everyone to learn. If you're gonna wake up in the morning and play pro tennis, come to WIN. Otherwise, call it a day and head to the Maldives. 

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Well how about those cousins—what the triumphant showing in Shanghai between Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech (and let's not forget their lady cousin Chloe Pacquet) means for Novak Djokovic's final act as well as Meddy and the lost generation. Plus: A stubborn Coco prevails in Wuhan, JPeg's exhausting run to the finals and a Nick Kyrgios in his feelings about getting a podcast snub from Andy Murray. 

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At this point, who is going to be able to make it through this meat grinder of a season? Do the the tour finals still matter no matter how many friends they lose, or people they leave dead and bloodied and dying along the way? Plus: No matter who REALLY started the conspiracy theories about courts getting slower (looking at you, Roger), you can count on Alex Zverev to whine about it. 

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The tennis establishment is facing yet another complaint from players, and this one's got the top players signed on and is repped by the big guns—Larry Scott. Let's see if they can make progress on meaningful profit sharing, player organizing and schedule changes. They'd better before the Asia swing completely collapses from retirements! We talk Coco vs. Belinda, Meddy vs. Zverev and the encouraging addition to Lerner Tien's entourage in the form of Michael Chang. Takes a champ to know a champ, after all.

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Rennae and Caitlin talk about how now, MORE THAN EVER, tennis needs a compelling third act to its season, not a bunch of under-attended team competitions, exos that nobody cares about and a slew of tournaments in great places like Seoul that are rife with withdrawals. Plus: We touch on the Taylor Townsend controversy, a Czech doubles rekindling and some interesting signs for next year.

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No, that wasn't just for a very disruptive US Open men's final guest that nobody wanted who made everyone wait, it was for pretty much everything else, from the scintillating second half of the singles tournament to the nail-biting wheelchair finals that gave Tokito Oda a career golden slam. We break down the resurgent FAA and Naomi Osaka campaigns, the finals that weren't for Sinner and Anisimova, and of course discuss the Carlitos haircut that started it all as well as an undeniable Sabalenka. We're toasting THREE WEEKS of US Open coverage with a hearty Ranch Water. Thanks for...

Rennae and Caitlin jam on a post-Naomi Osaka/Coco Gauff recap minutes after the one-sided match, weigh in—whether you like it or not—on the Taylor Townsend/Jelena Ostapenko fracas and set up a showdown between our men's faves (and respective countrymen) Felix Auger Aliassime and Alex DeMinaur. 

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Our favorite New Yorkers (who don't sound like it) break down the men's and women's draws and discuss the perils of natural deodorant live from the Seaport Racquet Club.

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Rennae and Caitlin are reunited—with working mics—to discuss the mayhem on the business end of the Canadian Open tournaments, plus the beginning frenzy of Cincy. Meddy's spiritual crisis, Osaka's low moment, Shelton's upswing and Sinner's dominance. It's all here!

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Rennae sits down with one half of the Giggly Squad, former D1 tennis player, comedian and cat trafficker Hannah Berner to talk about everything from Netflix specials to Coco Gauff’s (relatable) serve woes and off-court serves. Bonus appearance from Boots the cat.t

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Rennae and Andrea are all over Washington DC, the kickoff to the US hardcourt swing. Starting with the inimitable Venus Williams—say that five times fast if you're German—who came out swinging against Peyton Stearns and notched her first tour-level win in two years, as well as check ins on Emma Radacanu, Taylor Fritz and Perennial dark horse Ben Shelton. Plus: in a bonus mini-episode,  Rennae is live and direct with Canadian sensation Gabriel Diallo behind the scenes of the Citi Open.

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No we will NOT be talking about any foolishness (male) that happened during the culmination of grass court season (looking at you Ackman, Bill and Kyrgios, Nicholas) and instead we will celebrate what needs celebrating: 2025 Singles Champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, whose feet were fleet, shoulders relaxed and strike zones aided by sun-hardened courts. A look back at some glorious also rans from both draws with special shout outs to the spectacular tournament for Amanda Anisimova and the Sliding Doors tragedy of Grigor Dmitrov. 

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Rennae and Andrea snag a few moments between hits to discuss some of the shocking (and not-so-shocking) first round exits, including Coco Gauff's loss to Yastremska, Zverev's five-setter (and mentality issues) as well as Fabio Fognini Fabio Fognining everywhere, like Lord of the Rings. Are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz the Tik Tok versions of Federer & Nadal? Plus, we dedicate this episode to Rennae's mum, whose favorite tournament was Wimbledon.

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Our very special pre-Wimbledon episode features a chat about the Chad of tennis, Carlos Alcaraz and the controlled chaos of Alexander Bublik on grass. Then UK No. 1 and World No. 4 Jack Draper joins us Live & Direct from our Racquet in Residence at the Fanatics London Flagship (where a free Racquet mag awaits visitors with an in-store purchase). 

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Into the middle of grass season—the uber specific, tiny portion of the calendar—the USTA has dropped the event of the year, the all-star Mixed Doubles extravaganza featuring heroes, villains, the inept and the cuties. We break out of our regularly scheduled week off to bring you this important power ranking of PPM (pegs per match), face cards, and sub/dom dynamics that will leave you agog.

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Rennae and Caitlin swap positions on clay—the latter is done with it and Rennae wants to savor these last moments of the season on terre battue. And what a series of moments it was—two epic and drama-filled finals of this year's Roland Garros—both possessing of incredible narratives on (and off) court. We both give a full chapeau to Coco Gauff's unreal self belief and self possession in weathering the storm of Aryna Sabalenka, who played one of the most brilliant matches of the tournament to take out Iga Swiatek in the semis. On the men's side, an ins...

Rennae and Caitlin join Grounds Pass podcast's Anastasia Folorunso for a live show from McCarren Parkhouse to discuss week one of the French Open. Come for the discussion of Americans on the way up, Roland Garros tournament director in the hot seat over scheduling of women's matches, and a forthright assessment of TNT/HBO's first year of coverage, stay for the live breakdown of the Alcaraz-Shelton match's most scintillating moments by Rennae. 

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Upsets, triumphs, sartorial hits and misses—and a bonus little coaches corner. What ELSE can you possibly ask for from this, our first show grappling with Roland Garros (as Charles Barkley refuses to call it). Buckle up, helmets on, let's get into it.

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No, Casper Ruud did NOT almost have Jannik Sinner—but he might still be a favorite for Roland Garros, along with four women and Carlos Alcaraz. We recap the Italian Open—from the exquisite (Paolini's movement, Alcaraz's toolkit on natural surfaces) to the atrocious (Errani's serve, Zverev's rants).

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The matches in Rome are scintillating, and our faves are sliding here there and everywhere. We review Sinner's return, watch as young American Peyton Stearns picks up another win over a grand slam champ, and go deep on why tactics and strategy matter so much on natural surfaces.

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No, it's not the name of the Kentucky Derby winning horse—it's the problematic background colour of the Madrid stadium! We celebrate the Oatmeal Stallion, Casper Ruud, and his victory on the Spanish clay, toast Coco's excellent comeback week despite falling a bit short in the final against Aryna Sabalenka and revel in the best camera angle in tennis history? 

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Electronic line calls gone wrong! Claylor Fritz! Chipotle Stadium! Coco love disguised as harsh coaching! All the clay season drama coming out of Madrid is fair game—but conspiracy theories about rigged draws is where we draw the line. Plus: Coaches corner with some interesting staff changes and updates from across the spectrum, from Dinara Safina to Patrick Mouratoglou.

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What do Iga Swiatek, Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff have in common (besides some Grad Slam titles)? They're all officially on our Worry Index for players who need to turn things around to reset their season. We talk about the chaos agent that is Jelena Ostapenko, the rebound of Holger Rune and some scattered pot shots from deodorant to shower drug tests.

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Despite frigid temps in New York, Rennae and Caitlin celebrate the full-throated return of Clay SZN, featuring some great early runs on the slidey stuff from Jess Pegula, Americans Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Jensen Brooksby as well as celebrate the newest Australian: Daria Kasatkina. Plus: Should tennis boyfriends star in brand deals? And Rennae's Coaches Corner dissects the Marat Safin / Andrey Rublev partnership.

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Petko joins Rennae on the pod to recap an eventful Sunshine Double, where Aryna Sabalenka and the women are more than making up for the existential dilemma facing men's tennis as the stars continue to fade and the new faces falter. Plus: A daring new t-shirt design inspired by the legend herself, Serena.

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